Ultimate Adventure Jeep CJ-17: The UACJ

Péwé's Pile quickly grew from a derelict '76 CJ-7 to a rip-roaring, aluminum-bodied trail killer we've christened the CJ-17 for its plethora of rivets and Boeing B-17 bomber styling. The Jeep had to lead our squadron of 4x4s on the annual Ultimate Adventure (read about it on page 24), so we had to stuff some hearty parts underneath.

We've already discussed the Erod GM Performance Parts LS3 crate engine ("Erod Action," Sept. '10), which is smog compliant to swap into just about any 4x4. We also told you about the suspension (Oct. '10), and the Aqualu aluminum tub we bolted onto the original frame (Nov. '10). This month we'll take you to Dynatrac, where we built a set of axles capable of spinning 37-inch Goodyear tires with ease.